The subject matter herein relates generally to a mechanism for releasably securing a dual connector module in a dual connector system.
Electrical connectors are known for connecting an electronic module to a host circuit board. Such connectors are typically mounted on the host circuit board and retained on the host circuit board by soldering or some other retention feature. The electronic module must be installed in the connector and retained in the connector to provide a reliable electrical interconnection between the module and the host circuit board.
One type of electronic module includes a circuit card having a first set of contact pads along a card edge and a second set of contact pads along a bottom face of the circuit card. The first set of contacts mate with a card edge connector on the host circuit board, and the second set of contacts mate with a Z-axis connector on the host circuit board. The module is installed on the host circuit board by first moving the module downward along a Z-axis toward the host circuit board, and then translating the module horizontally along the host circuit board to install the card edge into the right angle connector. In this position the first set of contact pads are electrically connected to contacts in the right angle connector, and the second set of contact pads are electrically connected to contacts in the Z-axis connector. The module must be retained in this position to maintain the electrical connections.
There may be a need to remove the electronic module such as for replacement or upgrade. The module may be mounted in close proximity to other components on the host circuit board, thereby making it difficult to access the module and associated retention mechanism.
Accordingly, there is a need for a mechanism that securely retains an electronic module in a mated condition with an electrical connector and that can be disengaged to allow release of the module in tight spaces.